The Blessing in the Curse
by HuddyJibbsAddict
Summary: What if Regina casted the Dark Curse for very different reasons? What if she did it to protect her family because Snow White and The Blue Fairy left her no other choice? When everything she has built for herself risks to be ripped from her again Regina will stop at nothing to save those she loves most.


_A/N: So, this story is a Dark Curse reboot, a complete reset of how it was casted and why. It is part of a verse inspired by an OUAT comics I posted in my series of one shots Greek Masquerada (chapters 17 & 25 if you want to check it out), but it can definitely be read on its own, the only thing you need to know is that here Robin is Daniel's brother who tried to kill Regina to avenge him but obviously he thought better about it. Betaed by my darling _Lolymoon. _Enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing, OUAT and its characters are the property of ABC and A &E, though I would love it if they took better care of them._

* * *

 **The Blessing in the Curse**

Regina had always had a high tolerance for pain, years at her mother's mercy then as Leopold's Queen and the Dark One's apprentice had hardened her, made her ironclad and fireproof, nearly invincible, but nothing, nothing could have prepared her for the gut-wrenching sensations of labour.

Hours into it and she was certain that being ripped in half would actually hurt less. Her mind had retreated further into herself sometime after the sixth hour, only able to hear the midwife, barely aware of anything else. Robin had wisely renounced his encouragements when she had threatened to feed him his own manhood for putting her through this in the first place and was only stoically holding her hand, not even flinching when her grip tightened even more as she felt another contraction coming. She thought some of his bones cracked under the pressure but she was too far gone to care.

Though as she slumped back against the mountain of pillows behind her, the midwife letting her take a much needed break, she noticed how distracted Robin looked.

"What is it?" She rasped, pulling him away from his intent contemplation of their bedroom door.

He looked down at her, his frown smoothing on his brow and he shook his head. "Nothing, my love, there is nothing to worry about. Just focus on bringing our child into this world," he said, moving back the sweaty hair that clung to her face.

She wanted to argue, could feel there was something he wasn't saying but she didn't have time for that.

"Your Majesty, your child is almost there, a few more pushes and you will be able to hold him or her," the midwife called for her attention again and Regina fell back into her headspace.

She tried to focus on her connection with her child, ignoring the pain. A connection that had been building for months, ever since she had understood that the changes she had noticed in her body were its way to prepare for a new life. She had been baffled, how could she be with child after she had taken that potion to make herself barren? The implication that somehow Robin had broken that curse, the effect of the potion, had made her head spin and she had been unable to be near him for days.

She had sent him on various missions to follow leads on Snow White, using her guards to give him her orders, until he had come back from one of them, demanding answers on her behaviour and she hadn't been able to lie to him.

Snow had taken a backseat after that. Too dangerous, Robin had said, and once Regina had calmed down from the frenzy that had sent her in, she had seen his point. The fact that he, who was as fixated on making both Snow and Cora pay for Daniel's death as she was, would tell her to put it aside for the sake of their unborn child had struck a chord. That, and she could hardly lead a punitive expedition, at the head of her army, on her black steed, pregnant to her eyeballs, while not being in the field would give the wrong message.

Her role of reigning Queen had become her new priority, not that she had ignored her duties before, far from it, but she could leave everything in a heartbeat for a chance to bring Snow's head back on a plate and her heart in one of her boxes. Months into building her kingdom into the most powerful realm the Enchanted Forest had ever seen, she found that she didn't even miss the hunt for her former stepdaughter, the constant, swirling madness, the high that a successful expedition against her partisans provoked in Robin and her... Well, alright, maybe she did miss some part of it but all in all it appeared rather pointless when she could have so much more in her life.

Most people had even ceased to call her the Evil Queen, it seemed difficult for them to insult their monarch when she was making sure that everyone, even the poorest, most wretched inhabitants of her land had food in their bellies and clothes on their backs. Nothing was forgotten but it seemed they were to accept that she had turned over a new leaf. Her Black Guards had become more of a law enforcement contingent than a terrorizing force, her roads were safer, rid of the scoundrels and bandits who had plagued them during Leopold's reign. Regina wanted to give their child a heritage they could be proud of.

"One big push and the head is out," the midwife announced, and the rest was a blur. Regina screamed as the head and then the shoulders came out, and before she knew it she had a screaming, red-faced, fluids covered newborn in her arms. She had never seen anything so beautiful.

"It's a boy. Congratulations, Your Majesty," the midwife whispered, gently cleaning the baby who was settling down now that he had recognized his mother.

"We have a son," Robin said, embracing them, kissing her brow and then their child's in awe.

"Roland, Prince Roland," Regina told him and Robin looked at her, speechless. He had once told her the story of his and Daniel's grandfather, Roland, who had taught them all about horses, who had been more of a paternal figure than their own father had ever been. It meant the world to him that she would want to name their child after him.

Suddenly, Regina became aware of the outside world again, sounds from beyond the room made a reappearance, the clashing of swords, yells, the unmistakable thuds of bodies hitting the ground made her look up at the door. She looked from Robin to the midwife, taking in their tensed expressions.

"What is happening?" She asked, holding the baby closer to her.

"The castle is under attack," Robin replied, cupping her cheek.

"What?" She exclaimed. "No, it can't be, who would dare to try and attack us?"

"I think you know the answer to that, my love," Robin said. He stood up, taking out his sword and headed to the door just as it burst open. "Do not step any closer," he warned as Snow, the Blue Fairy and the newly released fake Prince entered.

Blue flicked her hand and Robin was frozen in place. The three turned to the bed and were startled to find Regina holding her child. Snow's eyes were wide as saucers, the Fairy's lips curled in disgust.

"What are you doing here, Snow?" Regina demanded, trying to hide the shakiness of her voice. She knew she didn't have much time before the exhaustion of hours of labour would catch up with her, given the state she was in she doubted her magic would be of much help, if she couldn't reason with the girl, it would be over.

"I'm taking back what's mine," Snow answered, straightening up, but Regina saw right through her, she was attempting to appear strong and proud but she had no idea what she was doing. If the Queen had to guess she would say that Blue was the real instigator here.

"And what are you ready to do to make that happen, Snow?" Regina needled, testing her resolve but she wasn't surprised when it was Blue would took a step forward.

"Whatever it takes," the flying pest told her nastily, flicking her hand again and Roland was ripped from his mother's arms, appearing in Blue's, screaming his little lungs out.

"NO!" Regina cried out, scrambling to her knees, wanting to get out of bed but she wasn't strong enough. The midwife caught her in her arms before she fell flat on her face.

"What do you think you're doing?" The woman inquired. "Tearing an infant barely born from his mother like that?"

Blue looked at her in disdain. "She is a monster, she doesn't deserve to keep such a pure and innocent being."

"You call her a monster? Look at what you did and for what purpose? This kingdom is at peace, your little protégée has been left alone for months now, no massacre, no gruesome acts of terror. What justifies you acting now?" The woman argued, holding back a frantic Regina who was losing her remaining energy fast.

"We do not have to justify ourselves to the likes of you," Blue replied haughtily.

"The likes of me? The likes of me are the people your Princess aspires to rule. At least, with the Queen we know what we are getting. What makes you think we will stand for usurpers and child kidnappers?" The midwife charged, unrelenting, but Blue had had enough, she used her magic to seal the woman's lips shut.

"It seems you have garnered a few faithful followers, Your Majesty," the fairy spat. "Don't worry, they will have forgotten about you soon enough, just like your son."

Regina didn't let Blue's taunts affect her, she kept her gaze trained on Snow. "What did I ever do to you to have you constantly destroying whatever I manage to build for myself? Haven't you ruined my life enough? Were you feeling left out when I stopped pursuing you? Are you that desperate for Mommy's affections?"

"I ruined your life? You killed my father, drove me away from my kingdom, tried to kill me, imprisoned my friends and I'm the one who ruined your life?" Snow cried out.

"You betrayed me to my mother, paraded me around like some porcelain doll, had me married off to your father who showed me nothing but the utmost disdain and yet locked me away when another man showed a bit of interest, you killed the man I loved, so yes Snow, I would say you had a head start in this war of ours," Regina threw back to her and it caused Snow to fumble.

"Killed? What are you talking about?" She stammered.

"Daniel died because you couldn't keep your mouth shut, you are a murderer Snow."

"You said he left!" Snow blurted out.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I was trying to spare your feelings, I had no idea what depths of misery awaited me, all of it brought on to me by you. You are a murderer, a spoiled Princess who thought she knew better, but you know nothing Snow. Stop this madness now and I will try to forget about what you attempted, let you live the rest of your life in peace, far away from here, even release your little friends, we will never have to see each other again."

Snow seemed to waver but Blue wouldn't have it. "Do not listen to her, Your Highness, you cannot trust her."

The Princess bit her lip and then her eyes hardened. "You are a liar, Regina, nothing you say can be believed. For years, I thought you cared about me, but you were only plotting your revenge, I won't let you trick me again."

The three turned away to walk out, Blue still holding Roland who wouldn't calm down.

"DO NOT TAKE MY CHILD FROM ME, SNOW!" Regina yelled, her magic gathering instinctively but the Fairy was ready for her, she threw it back at Regina, locking it in.

Regina screamed in agony as the spell hit her, her magic having nowhere to go attacked her and her world turned black, her last image was of her wailing son and she was certain it was the very last time she would ever see him.

* * *

She was dying, she knew that, had come to terms with it. Her only hope was to die before the new reigning couple would drag her to the execution pole. However, her father had not accepted this inevitable fate and was still dabbing at her brow with a cold cloth, as if thinking it would be enough to make the fever set off by the post partum infection go down. Little care after her delivery, her magic having turned against her and the sheer loss of will to live, all added together to make sure she would never get out of her cell.

"You have to fight, child," her father whispered, tears filling his eyes as he wiped the sweat from his daughter's forehead.

"Why would I, Daddy? There is nothing left for me. Snow took it all, again," she replied faintly.

"Your son deserves that you try everything to get back to him," Henry pleaded.

"My son will never know who I am, no matter what I do. The blue pest has him and she won't let him go, it's hopeless, Daddy, you should realise that and move on with your life," Regina told him, grabbing his hand.

He shook his head. "I'm not giving up on you. I have been weak and a coward too long, I am not leaving you when you need me the most."

She attempted to smile but a violent shiver shaking her put a stop to that and Henry looked even more concerned.

"Daddy, if I have to choose the way I die, I'd rather it happens here, on my terms than on theirs."

"I can't accept that."

"I know you can't but it's the only option I'm willing to consider. I just want you to promise me that if you ever get the chance to see Robin or Roland, that you will tell them how much I loved them and not a day went by in here where I haven't thought of them."

"Please, do not speak this way," Henry implored.

"Daddy, it's the only thing I'm asking of you, just promise me that," Regina was adamant, gripping her father's hand with the little strength she had.

He finally relented and nodded. "I swear."

Later that night, after Henry had finally fallen asleep, and she had been unable to fall asleep once more because of the pain radiating from her engorged breasts that she refused to relieve as long as the guards would refuse to give her any privacy, a swirl of red smoke appeared just outside her cell, revealing her former mentor, the infamous Rumplestiltskin. He turned to the guards who looked at him in complete astonishment and waved his hand dismissively making them fall to the ground soundlessly.

"Well, well, look at what the cat dragged in," he cackled, his signature smirk firmly on his lips. "I wondered about the crowd gathered outside, demanding your release. Peasants can be so fickle, not so long ago all they wanted was Snow White."

Regina turned her head to the side with mild interest, watching his grin fall as he took her in. Her face was so pale it was almost translucent, pearls of sweat sliding along it, her usually luscious hair were wild and unkempt.

"If you are here to gloat, you should enjoy the show while you can, it won't last long," she informed him and turned back to continue her silent contemplation of the ceiling.

"What have they done to you?" He sounded angry and it puzzled her.

She looked at him again. "Nothing you haven't dreamt of doing yourself, I'm sure."

"There is no point if you can't fight back, dearie," he replied, gripping the bars of the cell. "Who did this?"

She arched a single eyebrow. "You need to ask?"

He bared his teeth. "The moth, of course," he spat. "It wasn't supposed to be like that," he muttered to himself but she heard him.

"You told Snow about the baby, didn't you? They were surprised when they saw us but it was only because they thought they had more time. I glamoured my pregnancy, no one knew apart from Robin and my father, you are the only one who could have seen past the spell. You sold me out to them," she enunciated slowly, putting the events that took place that fateful day together. "I'm not even surprised," she added, shaking her head. "Congratulations, Rumple, you have gotten your revenge, you have brought on my death."

He gave her a hard, charged look. "You took Belle, made me believe she was dead."

"So that means I never get the chance to hold my son again?" She countered, tired and fed up.

There was a flicker of something she couldn't quite place in his intense gaze. "No, that's not what it means," he said. "As I said, it wasn't supposed to happen like that. The moth had stayed quite silent and invisible lately, I didn't think she had it in her to come after you. I was wrong obviously, even my gift has its limits."

"Why sell me out in the first place? If you weren't after revenge, then why?" Regina insisted.

"I need you to do something for me and I had to get you someplace where you would listen. I gave Snow White a powder to froze you long enough to bring you here, the bars are enchanted to hold your magic behind them," Rumple explained.

"Blue had other ideas."

"It would seem she did, yes."

"Now that we are being honest with each other, will you tell me what you wanted me to do?"

He sighed, and then straightened as if a sudden thought had struck him. "It can still happen." He walked through the bars as if they weren't even there and approached her.

"Rumple, I'm sure that whatever you need me for requires a power that I don't have anymore. I'm dying, there is nothing you can do to stop this," she disputed, gasping in pain when he lifted her upper body to settle her against his chest. She felt a soothing warmth emanating from him, pouring into her.

"The only one who kills you is me," he said fiercely. "We are the two most powerful magical beings this land or any other realm has ever seen, I won't let this ridiculous flying insect take us down." His hands hovered over her, trying to find the crack in the containment spell Blue had casted.

"Careful, some might think you care," Regina quipped and inhaled sharply when he broke the spell. Her magic flowed to the surface, working hard and fast to repair the damages of the past few days.

She sighed in relief when it was done.

"There, all better," Rumple jested, imitating the tone of a caring parent whose child who would have hurt themselves.

"I would thank you but if it weren't for you I wouldn't be here," Regina retorted, scrunching her face.

"I will just pretend that I have your eternal gratitude," he brushed it away with a sweeping gesture. "And I might just have it if everything goes according to plan."

"What are you talking about? This cloak and dagger game is starting to bore me," she said, turning her head against his shoulder to look at him more closely.

"I have a solution that will solve all our problems, that will open a whole new door for us. You will have your son and lover back, never needing to worry about your insipid stepdaughter or the pest infestation coming after you ever again," he announced, giggling as he let her imagine this scenario.

"It sounds too good to be true. What do you have to gain from it?" She queried.

"That's for me to know and you to find out when we have succeeded," he answered.

She snorted. "You really think this is going to convince me? Are you forgetting that I know you, Rumple? How can I be sure that you won't find some loophole to screw me over once I have done what you want?"

He frowned. "Such foul language, it's so unqueenly," he chastised. "You can't be sure, but I will say this, I have as much interest putting this in motion as you do, and I will owe you if you help me."

She had never seen him looking so serious, focused and intense yes, but it seemed that his whole life was hanging in the balance, waiting for her answer. "I have a hard time believing that," she still nagged.

"You're not listening, Regina. Our interests are very much aligned here," he insisted, taking her chin between his fingers to be sure he had her full attention, their eyes locked.

"Alright," she said, after a long while. "What will it cost me?"

"Nothing much, just the heart of the thing you love most," _and there was the Rumplestiltskin she had always known_ , she thought.

"Never!" She exclaimed, straightening up, pulling away from him. "I would never sacrifice Roland or Robin for the sake of one of your twisted plans."

"Oh but I didn't say anything about your son or your lover," he countered instantly. "My goal is to reunite you with them, it would be counter-productive to have you kill one of them."

"Then, who…" She asked, confused.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" He looked down at her sleeping father.

"You mean…"

"Your notoriously spineless father? Shocking I know, that he could be of any use but he is our best bet." Rumple said, rolling his eyes.

"I love him but not to the extent…" Regina trailed off, biting her bottom lip, looking at the way her father's chest rose up and down.

"Are you sure? Think about it, dearie. Think about the little girl running to her daddy for comfort after she felt the brunt of her mother's punishment, think about him telling her stories in the dead of night when she couldn't sleep. He can be the thing you love most if you believe it hard enough. You need him to be the thing you love most."

"I can't do that…"

"If you want to see your son again, it's the only way. And really, when you consider it, it's the most useful your father would have ever been to you, the only good thing he would have ever done for his daughter. He owe you this," Rumple whispered in her ear.

"How does it work?" Regina inquired, unable to take her eyes away from her father.

"It's the Dark Curse to end all dark curses, dearie, there is no room for mistakes, we will have to be very precise with what we ask of it. It will rip everyone away from this land and bring us all to a world without magic, they won't remember who they are, it will be a clean slate, we get to decide who they will be, we will have all the power," her former mentor explained.

"What if I want Robin to remember his life here? Is it possible?"

"Whatever you want, we can make it happen" Rumple affirmed.

Regina stayed silent, considering, but she knew how limited her options were. Even if she managed to get Robin and Roland back, it would never end, Blue and Snow would never leave them alone, unless they didn't remember who they really are.

She nodded at last. "There is no other choice, is there? This is it."

"Anything else would be hazardous and you know it. This is the only way where we can pull the strings," he confirmed and she sighed.

"Do you think he will ever forgive me?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"He is your father, the only thing that matters to him is your happiness," he seemed far away, lost in a memory, and for a second she wondered if he was speaking from experience, but she dismissed the thought as quickly as it popped in her mind.

She took a shaky breath and attempted to get up, Rumple had to support her when her legs showed they weren't strong enough to carry her just yet.

They stood over her father for a moment and then Regina kneeled beside him.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy. I love you," she breathed out before thrusting her hand inside his chest and tearing out his heart. His eyes opened and he gasped out in pain.

"Go back to sleep, Daddy," Regina ordered, speaking directly to his glowing heart, one single tear trailing down her cheek as she watched his eyes closing.

"Very good, now we need to leave," Rumple said, enveloping them in his signature red smoke.

They reappeared in his castle where a cauldron was bubbling furiously.

"The final ingredient and we will be free of this wretched land," he told her, helping her walk the few steps separating them from the cauldron. "I do have one request for when we are in this brand new world," he added.

Regina gave a watery chuckle. "I expected nothing less."

"I will need you for one final mission when we are there, I won't ever ask anything more of you after that. I will give you the details when the time comes."

"You certainly love your secrets."

"It's a good bargain, don't you think?"

"As long as I get to have my son and Robin back, I do not care about your agenda."

"Then it's a deal. Now, let's do this," he indicated the cauldron and she held her arm over it, took a deep breath, closed her eyes and squeezed her father's heart until it turned into dust.

They took a step back as a column of purple and black smoke rose from the cauldron and began tearing the world away.

* * *

Regina woke up with a start, struggling for breath and disoriented. She sat up, wide eyes taking in the details of the room she found herself in, from the soft cream colored walls with what appeared to be grey linings forming a pattern she couldn't quite distinguish, the cream curtains behind which a timid sunshine was peeking, to the wooden furnitures.

There was no immediate threat and her heart rate slowed down before skipping several beats when her eyes settled on a sleeping form beside her. Even sprawled on his front as he was, his face burrowed in the pillow, she would recognize him anywhere, but she wasn't quite sure she could trust her eyes. A trembling hand slowly raised to touch his shoulder, and when he didn't disappear at the contact, she slowly released the breath she had been holding in a sigh of relief.

She caressed his nape, scratched lightly the hair at the base of his skull until he half-growled, half-moaned in pleasure. She heard the rhythm of his breath change and knew he was waking up. She continued her ministrations, watching him closely as his eyes blinked open slowly and he realised that he was in an unfamiliar setting. He turned abruptly on his side to face her, and her hand slipped to his cheek.

"Regina," Robin exhaled in an awed but disbelieving tone. "How is this even… Where are we?" He asked, straightening up, his thoughts a jumble. He cupped her cheeks, locking their eyes, before crushing her lips to his, answers could wait for a minute, priorities and all that. "I thought I had lost you. I thought they had taken you from me," he whispered, pressing his lips against her neck and clasping her tightly.

"We're here now, no one will ever separate us again," she swore, gripping the back of the shirt he was wearing.

"How is it possible? What happened?" He questioned, not releasing his embrace one bit.

"I made a deal with the Dark One," Regina replied simply and he tensed instantly.

"What? Regina, tell me you didn't…" he started, pulling back a bit to clutch her shoulders.

"It was the only way," she cut him off. "I was dying, Robin, the Fairy had locked my magic in, I was imprisoned, either the infection would have killed me or they would have executed me before it did. He saved me, Robin, he saved my life and gave me the way to reunite us."

Robin stayed silent for a moment, considering her words. "What was the price?" He asked at last.

She looked down, swallowing heavily. "I…" she tried but stopped and gulped. "I had to provide the final ingredient for the Curse that took us here," she paused, taking a deep breath and raised her head to look at him, he was frowning but he let her take her time. "A heart, an important heart. My father's," she added and his face softened as her eyes filled with tears at the the memory.

"Oh, Regina," he let out.

"It was the only way, the only chance I had to get you and Roland back, he would have understood," she nodded emphatically, wondering if she said it enough that she may start believing it. "Rumple said my father owed me this and he was right. I know how it sounds but no matter how much I loved my father, he never protected me, he was only ever here to try and pick up the pieces after the facts," she told him, her tears falling silently.

Robin swiped them away gently. "I'm sorry you had to do that," he said, knowing she was right, he had despised her father, found him no better than a doormat, this weak, frail man, but he also knew how hard it must have been for Regina to have dealt the fatal blow.

"I'm not, I would do it again if I had to," as she finished her sentence, a soft cooing sound was heard, coming from behind her and she turned sharply to find its source. Her eyes fell on a strange object, and the part of her mind that was connected to this new world provided its name for her: a baby monitor.

"Roland," she exclaimed, swiftly getting out of bed and opening the door, Robin hot on her heels.

She let her instincts guide her to the nursery and she zeroed in on the crib when she found it. She approached it cautiously, the pressure of Robin's hand at the small of her back steadying her. A broken chuckle escaped her when she looked down and saw their son wide awake, babbling to himself in incoherent sounds, playing with a blanket, raising it over his head, lifting both his arms and legs to do it.

"My little Thief," she whispered and the baby blues turned to them, the little hands letting go of the blanket instantly to try and grasp the new voice that sounded oh so familiar.

Regina took him in her arms, taking the time to finally study him, she caressed the soft wisp of dark hair on top of his head with her index, traced the contours of his face, tapped his little nose gently and he scrunched it. He grasped her finger to put it in his mouth and chewed it.

Both parents laughed at the intense expression of concentration on Roland's face.

"I think someone is hungry," Robin said, a large palm coming to hold the baby's head over Regina's bent elbow, the other stroking her back.

"I think you're right," Regina replied, unable to look away from their son. She sat down on the rocking chair behind her and lowered the strap of her nightgown. She wasn't even sure if it would work, days had passed since her delivery, they all blurred together but she knew it had been close to a week at least, and between the infection and the healing she had no idea if she still had the possibility to breastfeed. _Here goes nothing_ , she thought, closing her eyes and biting her lip in anticipation as Roland latched on a nipple. He struggled a bit and the unmistakable voice in her head saying that she would never be good enough, even for her own son, let itself be known. It only lasted a minute and then he was suckling contently, eyelashes fluttering, his tiny fist opening and closing against her breast, and she chased the voice away.

"Look at him, so small but so gluttonous," Robin commented after a moment, kneeling on one knee before them. He had a strange expression on his face, one she couldn't quite place, until it hit her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize," she said, threading their fingers together. "You never got the chance to hold him."

He shook his head, squeezing her hand. "I sat there, in this dark, damp cell, thinking that I only saw my son long enough for him to be taken away right in front of me and I was helpless to stop it. I failed you both."

"You didn't, Robin, there was nothing you could have done, the Blue Fairy was determined to destroy us, and as weak as I was, we couldn't have stopped it. We're here now though, together, that's all that matters. I don't regret any of the things I had to do to get us here, and you shouldn't either," her gaze was intense, and he was hypnotized by it. He nodded slowly and stayed quiet, watching them, his family, his everything.

After Roland was done, Regina wrinkled her nose at the smell coming from his diaper and let Robin handle it, though he was a tad resentful to get to hold his son for the first time only to do the dirty work. He headed to the changing table and took the necessary items. He stopped to look at them, bewildered.

"What are all of those?" He asked out loud and Regina came to stand beside him.

"Items they use here to change a baby," she answered matter of factly.

"How did I know to look for them?" Robin queried.

"Rumple said this could happen. This is a whole new world we find ourselves in, and though we still have knowledge of our old lives in the Enchanted Forest, the Curse provided us with some basic knowledge of how things work here to help us fit in," she explained and he looked at her dumbly.

"This is…" He started.

"Crazy?" She cut him off.

"... very thorough," he finished, working on ridding their son of his dirty diaper. "Tell me more," he added.

And she did, they spent the whole day exploring their new house, talking about this new town, this new world, how it worked, who they now where. The Mayor and the Sheriff it appeared, the two most prominent people in the little hamlet, apart from the pawn shop owner, who held all businesses in the palm of his hand. Robin had scoffed as he had seen his badge, disbelieving.

"So now, I am the one supposed to enforce the law? This Curse has a terrible sense of humour," he had said, making her laugh. "You're still the Queen."

"With more paperwork it seems. People actually expect to be listened to, that will take some getting used to," she quipped.

A day, a whole day, where they stayed in, took care of their son, of each other. The next morning, after Roland's latest feeding, the bell rang and somehow Regina knew exactly who it was.

Indeed, Rumplestiltskin, or Mr Gold as she now had to reminded herself to call him, stood on her porch, leaning heavily on a cane. She huffed at the sight of him.

"Don't be like that, dearie, I held up to my end of the bargain, now it's your turn," he announced without preamble, making her roll her eyes.

"I know, I know, it's just barely been a day," she complained and he smirked.

"The sooner we do that, the sooner you can get back to your little family."

She heaved a sigh. "Very well, let me take care of a few details first," she said and closed the door on him. 'Details' meant convincing Robin to let her go without a fight, and she didn't want her former teacher inside for that.

Robin wasn't pleased, to say the least, but when she told him this would make them even, and that Rumple wouldn't be able to ask for any more favours, he reluctantly agreed.

"If anything happens to you while you're with him, I swear I will shred him alive," Robin swore and she smiled.

"My knight in shining armour," Regina said. "Don't worry, he wouldn't have taken the trouble to bring us here only to hurt me now."

"I wouldn't put anything past him," he replied, embracing her tightly. "Just be careful and come back to us in one piece."

"I will do my best."

With that she kissed him and Roland and left.

"So, will you finally tell me what this quest of yours is all about?" She asked as they got in the car.

"We're going to find my son," Rumple answered, looking straight ahead, starting the car and driving away, and her jaw fell to the floor.

* * *

 _What do you think?_


End file.
